An ancient manuscript, the Crosby-Schøyen Codex, containing the oldest complete versions of Jonah and 1 Peter, is being auctioned at Christie’s in London. Expected to fetch up to $3.8 million, this rare artifact dates back to the third and fourth centuries and originates from Egypt.
The Crosby-Schøyen Codex, containing the oldest complete versions of Jonah and 1 Peter, is being auctioned at Christie’s in London. Part of a larger auction of significant manuscripts spanning 1,300 years, it is expected to fetch up to $3.8 million. This codex, dating back to the third and fourth centuries and originating from Egypt, is highlighted by Christie’s senior specialist Eugenio Donadoni as crucial for understanding early Christian faith and its spread around the Mediterranean. The manuscript, written by a single scribe over 40 years, was discovered after being undisturbed for 1,500 years and was later acquired by Dr. Martin Schøyen in 1988.
Experts date the Crosby-Schøyen Codex to a period when Christians were still shaping their identity, deeply influenced by Jewish traditions. This era predates the official recognition of Christianity by Emperor Constantine in 312 AD and is pivotal in religious history.
Eugenio Donadoni of Christie’s described the codex as one of the three major 20th-century discoveries that revolutionized the study of Christianity. He emphasized that it sheds light on early Christians, who were still rooted in Jewish traditions, finding their identity.
The codex was likely created as a liturgical book for religious celebrations such as Easter, providing invaluable insights into early Christian rituals and beliefs. Christie’s highlighted the codex’s innovative format, being an early example of the book as we know it today. Unlike the traditional scrolls of the Graeco-Roman world, it was a codex—rectangles of papyrus stitched together into a 136-page pamphlet, marking a significant development in the history of writing and bookmaking.
